CoreyH

Thanks for the info...glad to know I can use the smaller wire with this mold.

So I can upsize the hook, which is good. Am I able to go down slightly in wire size from the .050 to the .045 or will that not work? If I have to stick with the .050 I will, but I feel like I'd prefer to go with the .045 if I can. Or build some with the .045 and some with the .050 to see which work best. Thanks again.

Thanks for the help and advice. I think I'll do what Apdriver suggested and buy the forms already pre-formed from Barlows. However, the Do-It mold I'm looking at getting shows a wire size of .050 for the 3/8 and 1/2 oz mold size. I've never used lead molds before, so I'm not sure if I have to use the .050 wire size or can I use the .045 with that mold? Same goes for hook size. They have a 3/0 size hook for the 3/8 oz cavity and a 4/0 for the 1/2 oz cavity. Can I upsize the hooks to a 4/0 for the 3/8 and 5/0 for the 1/2 oz?

TU Member 36 110 posts Report post Posted 4 hours ago (edited) I'm looking at making some buzzbaits for bass fishing. What gauge wire is going to be best for bass fishing applications? I'd be making 3/8 - 1/2 oz baits. Also, in order to make clean looking R bends and other bends (like the downward bend in a Cavitron-type buzzbait), should I be able to do that with just a pair of round nose pliers, or am I going to want to have a wire bending/forming tool of some kind?

Sorry guys...somewhat new to the board and I started with making crankbaits and this is where I always posted. Didn't even realize there was a separate forum for wire baits. I'll post my question there or look for the answer there. Thanks!

I'm looking at making some buzzbaits for bass fishing. What gauge wire is going to be best for bass fishing applications? I'd be making 3/8 - 1/2 oz baits. Also, in order to make clean looking R bends and other bends (like the downward bend in a Cavitron-type buzzbait), should I be able to do that with just a pair of round nose pliers, or am I going to want to have a wire bending/forming tool of some kind?

Thanks for the replies. I've seen some spinnerbaits being sold and they seem to tout the piano wire as though it is inherently better, so I wondered if that was the case or not. I don't think it will sway me one way or the other when looking to purchase.

What would be the reason(s) for using piano wire over standard stainless steel wire for things like spinnerbaits or buzzbaits?

Glad I read the latest replies before I did anything. I think I'll just brush it on around the lip area and then dip the rest of the bait. Thanks!

Thanks guys! As always I appreciate it.

I've been making baits mainly with PVC trimboard. In a previous thread I had asked some questions and someone (I think it was Mark Poulson) had said that they dip their PVC baits in acetone prior to painting and topcoating so that the acetone helps to close the foam cells and lessens the likelihood of having gases come out and ruin the paint or topcoat. I have already epoxied in the line ties, lips, and hook hangers in several baits, but they are not painted yet. If I dip the baits in acetone now, will that negatively affect the epoxy in any way?

BobP, thanks for letting me know about what will happen with regards to the browning of the topcoat. Luckily, I haven't made any baits that I'd be really disappointed in ruining with a bad topcoat. I'll mark this down as a "learning experience" and move forward with either KBS or a good slow cure epoxy. Thanks again.

Thanks for the link eastman03! That answered my previous question and also helped with with my original question as well.

OK, next question...how long do I need to wait between coats? Do I want to wait until the epoxy has completely cured (24 hours at least) or do I not need to wait that long?

I realize that I should use something other than 5-minute epoxy, but I had a few baits I really wanted to try and get finished (I'm not very patient at times) and saw a video of a guy just using 5-minute epoxy and it seemed to be coming out ok. The ones I have done with the 5-minute have turned out ok for the most part, but just like building baits, I want to continue to get better and have cleaner builds, and that means using a better product for my topcoat. The videos I have seen of guys applying topcoat have shown them applying one coat. Maybe they do two or three and just don't show it, which is why I asked if that is the better route to go. My baits are just intended for bass, but I do catch some pike on my bass baits, so I'd like the topcoat to be durable enough to handle the occasional pike.

When using a 2-part epoxy for a topcoat, which of the following gives the best results: 1. brushing on a thin coat, letting it cure, and then brushing on a second (and even third?) coat 2. bushing on a single, thicker coat 3. brushing on a single, thin coat I've only topcoated a handful of baits so far and I've been doing a single, thicker coat. It looks ok, but definitely not perfect. I've had some air bubbles present and because I've just been using a 5-minute epoxy (it's what I've had on hand), I've had a couple areas where I start to go over the bait again but the epoxy is already curing and it winds up not being as smooth. I'm going to order some slow cure in the next couple weeks and start using it, but want to do things the correct way. Thanks!

After looking closely at the bait, I'm thinking that the lip is just slightly off and isn't completely straight. I'm going to mess with the line tie to make sure, but if that doesn't fix it I'm going to figure it's the lip. Thanks for the suggestions and help!

Mark, I found it odd as well, since either way that I cast, the line is still pulling the bait forward. I'd like to say it's coincidence but I casted more than a dozen times each way and the results were consistent. Wayne, the line tie is situated right above the lip (it's a squarebill) and I have other similar baits that don't have this issue. Since I'm new to this, I also wondered if the bait is not symmetrical and that's what is causing the problem. Just using the eyeball test, it appears to be symmetrical though. I'll have to mess around with bending the line tie and see if that helps. Thanks!

I went to a local pond yesterday to water test a few crankbaits I've made. I was pleasantly surprised by a few and disappointed in a few others. One issue I had with two different cranks was that if I throw the bait straight out and reel the bait back with my rod pointed at the bait, it swims well. But as soon as I cast perpendicular to the shore and have my rod not pointed at the bait but instead pointed out in front of me and bring the bait in to the right or the left, the bait wants to roll onto its side some and not run true. It doesn't matter the rate of retrieve either. It looks as though the line tie is straight, but I stupidly didn't have a pair of pliers with me to try bending it. Any ideas on what I should try first to correct this issue?

That is an awesome lure turner! I'm thinking mine is going to be much, much simpler (and smaller) than that. Thanks for the info.

Going to make one and am wondering what rpm is best when buying a motor for it? Or does it not really matter as long as it's below a certain rpm?

BobP, thanks for the extra info...you guys are making it hard for me to decide what I want to do for a top coat. I'm going back and forth between epoxy and KBS, with each having advantages. Right now I'm leaning towards getting a lure turner and using epoxy, even though it's not as simple as dipping and hanging with KBS. Storing the KBS is what worries me since I may only be dipping one or two lures every couple weeks or so. And as expensive as it is I really would rather do one coat of epoxy vs. 2-3 coats of the KBS. Decisions, decisions....

Thanks. I’ll check that out.

That looks great! What epoxy do you use?

Thanks for the info. I'm assuming you just brush the epoxy on after you've heated it with the heat gun? Do you use a lure turner, hang after brushing, or something else?